Control
Autonomous Tractor Solution (ATS) is Embotech's autonomous driving software for terminal tractors (ATTs) that move trailers and containers driverlessly in ports and logistics yards. The solution is vehicle-agnostic, adaptable to any tractor platform, and integrates into existing terminal processes and infrastructure without modifications.
Each tractor uses certified, redundant sensor systems providing full 360° perception coverage around the vehicle. The AI-powered autonomy stack continuously perceives the environment, predicts the behavior of surrounding traffic participants, and optimizes the vehicle's actions in real time. All autonomy components run onboard, so each vehicle stays independently safe and resilient to network disruptions or GPS issues.
Multi-modal perception fuses LiDAR and camera data to detect, classify, and track vehicles, equipment, and people, while learning-based prediction models anticipate their future movements. Centimeter-level, real-time trajectory planning lets the tractor reverse with trailers into tight loading zones. It operates in mixed traffic without segregated lanes and works in rain, fog, darkness, and extreme temperatures, at speeds of up to 30 km/h.
ATS combines autonomous driving software (perception, real-time motion planner, safety platform), hardware components (LiDARs, cameras, GNSS antenna), fleet management (dispatching, status monitoring, parking slot management), and system integration with the Terminal Operating System (TOS) and Equipment Control Systems (ECS).
A Control Stack is the set of software components responsible for control logic, motion planning, command execution, and coordination of a robot's actuators. It receives high-level goals or waypoints (from planning or AI layers) and translates them into low-level actuator commands, closed-loop feedback control, and safety checks. Common implementations include MoveIt (arm manipulation), Nav2 (mobile navigation), and custom whole-body control stacks for humanoids.
A Perception Stack encompasses the software layers that process data from cameras, LiDARs, IMUs, microphones, and other sensors in order to recognise the surrounding environment, perform localisation, detect and track objects, and interpret the scene. It is typically the first processing stage in an autonomous robot's data pipeline, feeding its outputs to planning and control stacks.
Fleet Management software encompasses tools designed for managing a fleet of robots: task allocation and scheduling, status monitoring, over-the-air (OTA) firmware and software updates, error handling, and multi-unit coordination. It provides a centralised operations layer above individual robot controllers and is critical in warehouse automation, last-mile delivery, and industrial inspection deployments.
The real-time control role describes software responsible for closed control loops executed at a guaranteed, deterministic frequency — typically 1 to 10 kHz for current/torque loops in actuators. Unlike soft real-time, in a hard real-time regime missing a deadline is treated as a system error. Implemented on deterministic kernels (Linux PREEMPT_RT, QNX Neutrino RTOS) or dedicated microcontrollers. Critical for biped balance stability, force control, impedance control and functional safety.
The functional safety role describes software responsible for ensuring that a robot operating alongside humans does not cause harm even in the event of hardware failure, software error or unforeseen environmental event. The safety component implements: deterministic execution of critical tasks (hard timing determinism), fault containment, continuous system integrity monitoring, transitions to safe failure states, and compliance with functional safety standards — IEC 61508 (SIL), ISO 13849 (Performance Level), ISO/IEC TR 5469 (AI in safety systems). It typically runs on an isolated hardware subsystem (e.g. an FSI island) independent of the main compute stack.
Rotterdam (Maasvlakte II) – rollout of 30 ATT tractors; pilots in Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, Wolfsburg and the Middle East.
License family: Proprietary – Commercial
No version history.
